Chapter 6: Securing a modern international role for Britain
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6.1 The UK's responsibilities do not stop at home. Building a fairer society with opportunity for all involves effort to tackle poverty and build security and stability in the wider world. The UK's own interests and exports need to be promoted vigorously in an increasingly competitive global marketplace if the UK is to retain and increase its share of global influence and prosperity. The outcome of this Spending Review will place the UK in a strong position to do that.
6.2 The UK is well placed to influence world events - through membership of the UN Security Council, NATO, the European Union, the Commonwealth and the G7/G8. Since the 1998 Comprehensive Spending Review the Government has used this position to set in train reforms of the European Union and NATO, improved the ability of British missions overseas to offer improved services to British citizens abroad and travellers wishing to visit the UK, and established British Trade International to provide improved services for British business and inward investors in the UK. At the same time the operations of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have been modernised to provide an efficient and secure platform from which to promote British interests. The new spending plans provide the Foreign and Commonwealth Office with a real terms increase of 1.9 per cent a year over the next three years to continue this modernisation.
Tackling poverty in the developing world
6.3 This Government has established Britain as a leader in the fight against world poverty; it has used its growing influence to help mobilise the international political will necessary to achieve real progress towards the International Development Targets - chief among them the aim to lift one billion people out of abject poverty by 2015.
Box 6.1: Key PSA targets - securing a modern international role for Britain A modern approach to defence
Preventing conflict
Tackling poverty in the developing world
Promoting Britain abroad
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6.4 The 1997 White Paper Eliminating World Poverty1 set out the ideas which would underpin the Government's international development policy: promoting poverty reduction in developing countries; aid focused on the poorest people in the poorest countries; partnerships established with developing countries and with other donors; and a more integrated and consistent approach to international development across Government. The Government has worked effectively to deliver these promises. The spending plans set in this Review provide a real terms increase in international development funding over the next three years of 6.2 per cent a year.
6.5 DFID has made good use of its increased funds, achieving real progress towards poverty reduction. In the fields of education and health the Government is:
- focusing educational money on basic and primary education, for example in Uganda, where a five-year, £67 million programme to help the Government of Uganda fund good quality, universal primary education and more equitable access to secondary education is the UK's largest single commitment in Africa;
- reducing gender discrimination in education, and seeking to understand its causes;
- creating strong, effective health systems which provide for the needs of all;
- focusing on those communicable diseases which are the biggest threat to the very poorest people; and in particular
- supporting the fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic at national and international levels.
The Government's actions have been reinforced by an integrated policy framework of strategy papers covering the UK's approach to individual countries, to the multilateral agencies, and to problems such as malaria and HIV.
6.6 The success of the Government's policy reforms has been widely recognised and the UK is now seen as one of the pace-setters on international development issues. Over the next three years, the Government will exploit that position of influence to persuade other donors to adopt an output-based approach that will deliver real progress towards the International Development Targets.
International debt relief
6.7 The Government has been particularly successful in delivering progress on debt relief. It has argued strongly and consistently that as much relief as possible should be granted as soon as possible to poor countries which have demonstrated a commitment to reform and to poverty alleviation. DFID has worked closely with HM Treasury to push debt relief up the international agenda, and the Chancellor's 'Mauritius Mandate' speech in 1998 gave momentum to the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. As of mid-July, nine countries have qualified for enhanced debt relief totalling $16 billion under the multilateral HIPC initiative agreed at the IMF annual meetings in 1999 and a further 11 should qualify before the end of the year. Countries like Uganda and Bolivia will be receiving an extra $1.3 billion to spend on reducing poverty, building schools, providing clean water and other development priorities.
6.8 Building on the success of the enhanced HIPC initiative, which offered qualifying countries 90 per cent debt relief, the Government announced in autumn 1999 that the UK would unilaterally extend their debt relief to 100 per cent. The nine countries that have already reached their decision point are benefiting from not having to make further debt repayments to the UK. Many other creditor countries are now also offering 100 per cent relief: a clear case where the UK has led by example and delivered real benefits to poor countries.
Modernising the UK'S armed forces and preventing conflict
Better equipped, more deployable Armed Forces
6.9 The successful deployment, at very short notice, of the UK's spearhead battalion and an Amphibious Ready Group to Sierra Leone in May 2000 demonstrated that the UK already has the capability to deploy well-equipped, highly trained forces rapidly to a distant theatre. But more needs to be done and the MOD continues to restructure the armed forces in line with the outcome of the Strategic Defence Review to meet the new challenges. The 2000 Spending Review provides for the highest increase in spending over three years for over a decade (see Chapter 12) with a real increase in the Defence budget of 0.3 per cent a year over the next three years. The money will provide new and improved equipment to fill gaps identified in recent operations; improved accommodation for service personnel to encourage retention; funds for the completion of the relocation of forces from Germany and to buy the A400M Strategic Air lifter.
6.10 The UK has been particularly active in promoting the European Defence agenda. The Helsinki summit in December 1999 agreed that the Member States of the European Union should acquire the capability to deploy a corps-sized force of 50,000 - 60,000 troops by 2003, so as to undertake military missions where NATO as a whole was not involved. The UK is encouraging its European partners to develop their military capabilities as it is doing to meet its share of this demanding goal.
New arrangements for conflict prevention
6.11 Promoting international peace and stability is a key element of British foreign policy. It is central to our security, and essential for our objectives of promoting democracy, good governance and human rights. It is necessary for the sustainability of the global economy and for tackling poverty and social exclusion.
6.12 The Government is now introducing management and financing arrangements for its conflict prevention activities which will maximise the effectiveness of the contribution the UK is able to make over the next three years (details on the cross-departmental review of Conflict Prevention are in Chapter 36). The new arrangements will enable swifter, better coordinated and focused action where Ministers decide that a conflict requires UK intervention.
Nuclear Safety in the FSU
6.13 Tackling the nuclear problems of the Former Soviet Union (FSU) is also vital to international peace and security. To ensure that the UK plays a full part in such efforts, a new budget has been established. Further details of the cross-departmental review of Nuclear Safety in the Former Soviet Union are in Chapter 37.
Promoting the UK abroad
Enhanced trade promotion
6.14 The 2000 Spending Review provides scope for the FCO to invest in additional posts to promote trade and inward investment into the UK through the newly formed Trade Partners UK (for details see Chapter 13). In addition, British Trade International is to implement a series of structural reforms designed to improve the performance of the DTI and FCO in providing coordinated trade-related help to UK business. This will be through:
- improved handling of information enquiries from businesses;
- improved information flows and team working; and
- single branding of trade promotion services to reduce fragmentation and costs.
The settlement allows for further investment in a 'gateway' website (launched in May), enabling customers to obtain information and knowledge on markets and sector opportunities for trade. This will build on the current service, which is already used by nearly 14,000 customers.
BBC World Service
6.15 The BBC World Service (BBCWS) (see Chapter 13) is the most respected voice in international broadcasting and enhances the UK's political, economic and cultural reputation in the world. Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations, has described it as "a service to the world as a whole, and perhaps the greatest gift to the world during the [last] century". Increased investment will now go a long way to preserving the World Service's pre-eminence into the 21st century.
6.16 The Spending Review provides a real increase of 3.9 per cent a year for the BBCWS over the next three years which will enable it to expand its global audience to 153 million by 2002. The real challenge will be to expand its strength in the digital age. This will be brought about by a number of key initiatives. The BBCWS will be funded to become the world's reference not only on radio but on the Internet with expansion into more languages. The World Service will continue to spread its FM presence around the world and plans to broadcast in 135 world capitals by 2004. The BBCWS will be increasing the amount of customised and regionally focused material in its broadcasts. Increased investment will also enable the BBCWS to maintain its traditional audience on short and medium wave bands through the renewal of key transmitters.
6.17 The BBCWS brings overall value to the FCO and the UK where broadcasting and diplomatic objectives coincide. Through improved targeting of audiences, the BBCWS will enhance Britain's international role and help to present it in a positive and modern way.
British Council
6.18 As the principal agency for cultural relations with other countries, the British Council (for details see Chapter 13) is committed to its role of presenting the UK abroad and encouraging cultural, scientific and technical cooperation. Increased funds of 3 per cent a year in real terms for the next three years will enable the Council to expand its reach and exploit the use of IT through the development of knowledge and learning centres, capitalising on the UK's particular strengths in education, English language teaching and the arts.